If you’re sending B2B cold emails and tired of copy-paste templates that get ignored, you’re in the right place. This guide is for sales teams, founders, and anyone who wants to actually stand out in someone’s inbox—without spending hours on manual research. We'll walk through how to use Clay to personalize your B2B outreach at scale, what actually works, and what you can skip.
Why Personalization Matters (and Where Most People Go Wrong)
Personalized emails get more replies, plain and simple. But most so-called “personalization” is just {{FirstName}} or {{Company}} stuffed into a template—everyone sees through it. What works is showing you did your homework: referencing something specific about the person, their company, or recent news.
The catch? Doing this manually is a time sink. That’s where Clay comes in.
What Clay Actually Does (and Doesn’t)
Clay is a data automation tool that helps you gather info about leads and enrich it—think LinkedIn profiles, recent posts, company funding, tech stack, etc. It connects to a bunch of data sources and lets you build workflows without coding. In theory, you can automate hours of research and plug that data into your email tools.
But Clay won’t magically write killer emails for you. It’s only as good as the inputs you set up and the data you feed it. If you don’t know what to look for—or you try to automate every little thing—you’ll end up sounding like a robot anyway.
Step 1: Define What “Personalization” Really Means for You
Before you touch any tools, get clear on what kind of details actually make an email feel personal in your niche. Some examples:
- Job changes or recent promotions
- Company milestones (funding, hiring, product launch)
- Recent blog post or LinkedIn content
- Mutual connections or shared background
Pro Tip: Pick 1–2 personalization angles max. More than that and you’ll overcomplicate things.
Step 2: Gather a Target List That Actually Makes Sense
Don’t just dump a random list of “decision makers” into Clay. Quality matters more than quantity here.
- Pull target accounts from your CRM, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, or wherever you normally source leads.
- Make sure you have at least first name, last name, company, and ideally a LinkedIn URL.
- Clean your list. Remove obvious non-fits and duplicates. Clay is powerful, but it can’t rescue a garbage list.
What to skip: Don’t waste time trying to personalize outreach to companies that would never buy from you. It’s not magic.
Step 3: Set Up Clay and Connect Your Data Sources
Now, get Clay ready to do the heavy lifting.
- Sign up and import your list. Use a CSV or connect directly to Google Sheets.
- Connect data sources.
- LinkedIn (for profiles and activity)
- Company databases like Crunchbase or Clearbit
- Email enrichment tools if you need contact info
- Pick your enrichment fields. Don’t add every field under the sun. Focus on what you’ll actually use in your emails.
Heads up: Some data sources cost extra or have usage limits. Be realistic about what you need.
Step 4: Build Your “Enrichment” Workflow
Here’s where you automate the research part.
- Create columns for the data you want: Latest LinkedIn post, company size, recent funding, etc.
- Use Clay’s pre-built integrations: For most common data points, Clay can pull info automatically.
- Set up filters: Only pull recent posts if the person has posted in the last 60 days, for example. No point referencing something from 2019.
What works: Short, punchy insights—like “Congrats on your recent Series B!” or “Saw your post about remote hiring.”
What doesn’t: Overly generic stuff (“Saw you work at {{Company}}—so do lots of people”).
Step 5: Craft Your Email Templates—With Real Personalization
Don’t just plug data into old templates. Here’s a simple structure that gets replies:
- Subject: Reference something specific (“Quick question about [their recent post/company news]”)
- Intro: Short, specific mention (“Saw your LinkedIn post on remote onboarding—great point.”)
- Value prop: One or two sentences on why you’re reaching out (keep it about them, not you)
- CTA: Make it easy to say yes (“Worth a quick chat next week?”)
Template Example:
Subject: Loved your post on remote onboarding
Hi {{FirstName}},
Saw your recent post on remote onboarding—totally agree that tools make or break the process.
I help people teams at fast-growing SaaS companies cut onboarding time in half. Think it could be useful at {{Company}}?
Open to a quick chat next week?
Don’t:
- Overdo the flattery (“Your insights are amazing!” feels fake)
- Reference data that doesn’t make sense (“Congrats on your promotion!” when it’s 2 years old)
Step 6: Export and Send (Without Screwing It Up)
Once your data is enriched and your templates are ready:
- Export your list as a CSV, or push it directly to your email tool (Outreach, Apollo, Mailshake, etc.)
- Double-check that variables are mapped correctly. There’s nothing worse than a “Hi {{FirstName}}” fail.
- Spot-check a handful of emails before blasting. Make sure the personalization is accurate and not awkward.
Pro Tip: If you see a lot of blank fields, tweak your filters or pick another data point. Don’t send emails with half-baked personalization.
Step 7: Track Replies and Tweak Fast
Personalization is not “set it and forget it.” Track how many people reply, and which angles get responses.
- If referencing LinkedIn posts works, double down.
- If most people ignore the company funding mention, drop it.
- Iterate every few weeks. Don’t assume what worked last month still works now.
Avoid: Overanalyzing vanity metrics (open rates) or blaming the tool for bad targeting or messaging.
What to Ignore (And What to Watch Out For)
- AI-generated icebreakers: Sounds cool, but they often miss context or come off weird. Use them as a starting point, not the finished product.
- Over-personalization: If you make emails too long or reference obscure facts, it feels creepy. Stick to public, relevant info.
- Buying every data add-on: Start with the basics. Most tools upsell you on endless enrichment—but you probably don’t need 90% of it.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Clay is a powerful tool if you use it to automate useful research—not just busywork. The best outreach is still simple, relevant, and respectful of people’s time. Start small, see what actually works, and change it up as you go. Don’t overthink it. Real personalization beats “personalized” any day.